Velocipede



UNITED STATES FRANK LATIMER, or

PATENT OFFICE.

HUNTLEY, ILLINOIS.

VELOCIPEDE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 587,837, dated August 10, 1897.

Application filed August 14, 1896.

To all whom, it may concern:

Be it known that I, FRANK LATIMER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Huntley, Illinois, have invented certain new and use ful Improvements in Velocipedes, of which the following is a specification.

. My invention relates particularly to velocipedes of the safety rear-driven type, and especially to the frame portion and mechanism for driving or propelling the vehicle.

The object of my invention is to provide a simple, economical, and efficient safety-bicycle of the rear-d riven type; and the invention consists in the features, combinations, and details of construction hereinafter described and claimed.

In the accompanyingdrawings, Figure 1 is a side elevation of a safety-bicycle fitted with my improvements; Fig. 2, a side elevation of the frame with all the parts removed; Fig. 3, an enlarged sectional plan view of a portion of the frame, taken on line 3 of Fig. 2, looking in the direction of the arrow; Fig. 4, a vertical sectional elevation of a portion of the frame, taken on line 4 of Fig. 2; Fig. 5, an enlarged sectional view of the bearing portion for sustaining the driving sprocket-wheel and other parts, taken on line 5 of Fig. 3; Fig. 6, an enlar ed detail view of a portion of the pedal and mechanism for restoring the pedal to its normal position, and Fig. 7an enlarged transverse section taken on line 7 of Fig. 6.

In constructing a safety-bicycle in accordance with my improvements I construct a frame portion A, which is composed of a headtube a, a front lower tubular member a, a pillar-tube a and an upper tubular front member a somewhat on the usual lines. The rear portion of the frame is provided with the upper fork-piece a which runs down to support the axle of the rear-driven Wheel much in the usual manner. To stiffen the frame, however, and fit it with my improved construction, I provide an inner lower fork portion A, which extends back from the connectingbracket a that joins the pillar-tube and lower tubular member to the sprocket-shaft hereinafter described. I further provide an outer lower fork composed of the tubes A A which extend forward from the rear-wheel axle to the sprocket-shaft. Both of these rear Serial No. 602,697. (No model.)

fork-piecesthe inner, A, and the outer, A are connected to the pillar-tube by means of upwardly-extending tubular fork-pieces a and (L7, the purpose of which will be hereinafter more fully set forth. The frame is further provided with the usual front forkB, carrying the steering-wheel b and the handle-bars I), while the seat portion 0 is mounted in the usual manner in the pillar-tube. The wheel is further provided with the rear driven wheel D, of the usual construction, which is operated as hereinafter described.

To provide mechanism for the bicycle, I make two sprocketwheels E E, which are mounted rotatably upon a two-part shaft G, which is held in suitable bearings g and g of the lower and outer fork portions; This twopart shaft is joined together by the turnbuckle nut or sleeve H, which is interposed between the lower inner fork portions and rigidly holds such supporting-shaft from any movement whatever. The shaft, a detail of which is shown in Fig. 5, is preferably provided witha shoulder g at its inner end and nuts g at its outer end, that grasps the bearing portion of the outer lower forks and with the turnbuckle-nut act to hold such fork portions in their operative position. Each sprocket-wheel is provided with a hub portion e, having ball-bearings c at each end thereof, so that the sprocket may run easy and be prevented from any lateral or longitudinal movement. The sprocket-wheels E are connected with sprockets d on the rear-driven Wheel by means of a sprocket-chain d, which serves to transmit the power and motion'of the drivingsprocket to the rear-driven wheel.

To transmit power from the rider to the sprockets, I provide each driving-sprocket with circular ratchetsl, which are secured to such sprockets by rivets or screws 7;, and pivotally mount upon the hub of each of the sprockets a lever K, having a portion k bent at right angles to the portion that carries the pedals 70. These angular portions carry pawls k that engage with the ratchet-teeth of the circular ratchet either by means of gravityor the force of a light tension-spring 7.0 which I have shown in Fig. l of the drawings.

The pedal-levers are provided with hub portions K, that surround the hub of the In order to return thelevers with their ped- I als to a normal or intermediate position, I provide a cord, cable, or rope L, which 1s secured by means of a stirrup Z to the inner end of the pedal-pins Z, as shown in Fig. 6 of the drawings, and which is passed over a pulley L, that is secured to the upper tubular member of the frame. It will thus be seen that by depressing on one pedal the opposite pedal moved both pedals are returned to their normal intermediate position, occupying about a horizontal plane. These springs may be of such number of coils that when one is lengthened to its fullest extent the other is compressed, so that its coils contact and prevent further upward movement of the pedal on that side.

The advantages of my improvement will be readily appreciated by persons engaged in this particular art, and consist principally in an improved efficient driving mechanism, such as will bemore fullyhereinafter set forth in the claim.

In describing and illustrating my invention I have chosen to do the same in connection with a gentlemans or diamond frame, but it will be understood that I do not desire to be limited strictly to this particular type of frame any more than is pointed out in the following claim.

I claim- In a bicycle of the class described, the combination of a frame portion provided with a front steering-wheel and areal driving-wheel, a sprocket-shaft in the frame portion, a pair of sprocket-wheels independently and rotatably mounted thereon, a circular ratchet on each sprocket, a right-angular vibrating 1ever mounted on the hub of each sprocket- Wheel, the outer end of each having a pedal portion and the inner angular memberca-rrying a pawl engaging the ratchet, antifriction bearings interposed between the lever and sprocket-wheel hubs, a cable or similar mechanism connecting the pedal-levers together so that the downward movement of one assists the opposite movement of the other, and helical springs surrounding the cable to limit its movement and restore the parts to a normal position, substantially as described.

FRANK LATIMER.

\Vitnesses:

THOMAS F. SHERIDAN, THOMAS B. MoGREcoR. 

